There are many words in the Torah that are focused on the vestments, dress of Kohen Gadol, the Great Priest. Whole chapters are devoted to the minute details of how he was to present himself before the people at all times.
Why is this so important? Ramban, the mystic and scholar, noted that kings also wore clothing that was not dissimilar to the Kohen Gadol. The Ramban then remarks that dress gives definition to our stature in the eyes of other people. In the instance of the Torah, B’nai Yisrael became aware of the grandeur of its leader Aaron, through his specified and ornate clothing, as they gazed at him.
Another commentator, Benno Jakob, believes that clothing connotes something far more powerful than dignity. Remember that the Holy One, blessed be He, personally made clothes for primordial man in the Garden of Eden? This act separated the man and woman from the beasts of the world. While the animals wore only their natural fur, shell or skin humanity was now cloaked in vestments that were foreign to their bodies. The clothes Adam and Havvah wore differentiated them from beasts. Of all the things that God could have given humanity – food, shelter, gifts of all sorts - He chose to only make for them clothes.
What Benno Jakob is telling us is that not only do clothes change the way we are seen they also have an impact on how we view ourselves. They separate us from animals, lower life. Yet, it is not only clothes alone that separate us from the beasts of the earth because we could wear ornaments that would only magnify the worst aspects of animal instinct. Clothes can also have the ability to separate us from our worst, most base animal instincts. For this reason, Judaism places great emphasis on dress, how we present ourselves
Modesty of dress is one avenue of connection to the world and to the Divine. Modesty means that we respect borders and privacy. The way that we dress, for one example, is about limiting others from accessing our privacy. It is the outward symbol of our desire to connect with other people positively and then as a result connect with the Divine One. That is why the prophet Micah urges us “to walk with modesty before God.” 6:8
How we present ourselves in the holy Sanctuary of Or Atid is one aspect of our physical carriage (provocative clothing is a no-no) but every time we venture out into the world we make a statement about our morals, values and what we wish to communicate to pothers about who we are.
Moshe personally clothed his sibling, Aaron. It was his task to appoint and dress the first Kohen. When people saw Aaron wearing his Kohen garb they would accept him for his powerful office and high status. At the same time, Aaron would also feel special because the clothing would remind him that he was different.
Clothes are distinctive reminders of our being. A tale of Nachum of Chernobyl tells of when he once lost sensation in his legs on a Shabbat. He looked down and discovered he was still wearing his weekday trousers. The soul of the tzaddik was sensitive to Shabbat and the great division between the mundane and the kodesh. His subconscious was mindful of the holiness that his Shabbat clothes provided.
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